Brace Yourself
by Tora Marikama
Summary: They thought they were just normal kids. But then again, everyone thinks that right before the extraordinary happens. Let's hope they can get their acts together before the storm starts brewing. Humanized stitchpunks; super hero parody.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own 9

Author note: So, here it is. You asked for it, so I delivered. I'm really nervous about posting this...I honestly think its sucky, but thats usually just my self doubt getting the best of me. Updates are going to be slow for a while, (especially for this one since my older stories have first priority) because I've gotten back into doing art so my spare time has been halfed. Anyway, enjoy!

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Brace Yourself

Chapter 1

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A wind blew though the trees, rustling the leaves and making the branches dance.

Kelly loved that sound.

She loved the chill on her face, the moonlight guiding her way, the flickering shadows.

This was the only place and time that she felt free.

She ran a hand over the number on her shoulder and froze. She used to be so proud of her number, her place. But she couldn't handle the stress and the screaming so she ran away.

Kelly had been on her own for a month. She saw the others at school but she wouldn't say more than a quick greeting. Except the twins; she still talked to them, of course, because they understood.

She wanted to be free, even though she knew it would never be possible, because of what she was.

Kelly knew it was a bad move to leave the group. She felt so weak without them and she hated it. She hated that she had to rely on the system so much.

But she also hated the stress of being on her own. She had to be alert at all times. No risks could be taken; if she messed up, it was game over.

She was torn between her freedom, and her safety.

She froze at the sound of a mumble. Slowly, she crept around the bushes, constantly on alert for the hidden stranger. She caught sight of red- a red scarf and ducked.

It was a boy, a teen, a black beanie only allowing a few strands of brown hair to be seen. He sat on his knees in the frosted grass, his face scrunched up in concentration. His gloved hands were stretched out evenly in front of him on either side of a stone.

The girl's breath caught in her thought as the stone rose and wobbled in the air. It dipped, then rose again until it finely found balance.

'He's one of my kind,' thought Kelly in shock.

The boy's right eye opened, and he smiled at the sight and opened up his other eye as well. "I did it…I did it!" He cheered loudly and suddenly the stone shot up like a bullet through the trees.

He winced…and their eyes met. Kelly quickly got to her feet and ran, but she had to be careful not to go too fast. She could never take the risk of going too fast.

"Wait, wait! It's not what it looks like, I swear! Just…please stop!

The girl did stop. She had to remind herself that he was just like her. They were the same. She didn't need to hide from him.

"Thank you. I wasn't practicing using my powers unauthorized, I swear. I just found out and---"

"I'm not going to tell on you," Kelly smiled, remembering when she had first been found, "So you're new then."

"Um…yeah…" he blinked uncertainly.

"Government hasn't come knocking on your door?" She started circling him, and he turned around, trying to keep her in his sight.

"No, like I said, I just found out."

"What were you going to do when they came?"

He shrugged, "I don't know…my parents would probably make me go."

"But you don't want to?"

"Not really…I don't think I have what it takes to complete super hero school."

"Well, the gov. would have taken you either way. But now you have a new option."

She stopped and pulled the boy forward by his scarf, her face firm and serous. "Meet me here tomorrow if you want a way out."

She let him go with a shove and took off through the bushes. The boy fallowed, reached out for her, "Wait! You didn't tell me what your name was!" In a flash, she was gone. His jaw fell open in shock as her questioning finely made sense.

She was just like him.

7 blasted through the park at her top speed, just this once.

She had finely made up her mind.

She was going back.

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Ace looked around the park uncertainly as he waited for his mystery girl to show up.

Like any other kid, he used to spend his Saturday mornings watching the super heroes on T.V and dreaming that he could be just like them.

But then he found out that he was one of the rare few with potential.

He realized for the first time, that the super hero life wasn't for him. Ace had a bad streak when it came to luck, he was one of those dorks that always made themselves look like an idiot in front of the cute girl he had a crush on. The same kind of dork that said the wrong thing at the wrong time and ended up in fist fights with the jocks.

And horror movies still made him wet his pants.

Not that he would ever admit it.

But still, definitely not the stuff heroes where made out of.

So he didn't tell his parents.

So he snuck out to secretly practice.

He knew he could be arrested since it was illegal to keep your powers hidden from the government, but he didn't know what to do.

Then she found him.

She knew something, something big, and he wanted in on the secret.

"There you are!"

Ace spun around to where his mystery girl was battling with the hedges. She had rich golden blond hair, cut short into a razor bob and a pair of dainty, round wire rimmed glasses.

"You know, when I said 'meet me here', I didn't literally mean this spot."

Ace blushed in embarrassment and said, "Sorry…"

"No, no. It's my fault, It makes sense, actually. I should have looked here first." She thrust her open hand to him, "I'm Kelly."

He smiled and took her hand. "Ace Harps."

She giggled at him, amazing him with the trickle of her laughter. She took his blush negatively though and apologized, "Sorry, but that's too cute! Almost like ace of hearts!"

"Yeah, something like that…" he didn't want to admit that he got teased about that a lot because she made it sound like such a good thing.

"K, honestly, I'm new to this whole…"

Before she could finish Ace threw in hopefully, "Super Power thing?"

"No, helping a newbie out. So I'm just going to cut to the chase and take you to my provider."

"Your what?"

"My provider. They like, take care of us and our special needs, if we have any. And most importantly they help keep us safe."

She paused and rubbed the number on her sweater nervously. "I'm…well, I'm actually in a tuff spot with my Provider, Mr. Anderson. I haven't been keeping my appointments with him for the past month so he's…probably pissed at me. He can be such a jack ass sometimes…but I'm stuck with him because he's the closest provider in town."

Noting the worry on his face, she added, "Don't worry; He won't be too rough with you. He's always nice to newcomers. We just have a very bad history."

"You don't have to do this for me. Just tell me where to go and I'll go on my own…I don't want to get you into trouble or anything…" Ace ran a hand through his hair.

Kelly shook her head and motioned for him to follow her back though the bushes, "It's okay. I kind of need something so I was going to have to face him sooner or later."

The home of the provider was only on the other side of the park, which meant it wasn't too far away from his home. Ace blushed in realization that it meant that Kelly probably lived close by too. And she looked close to his age, so she probably went to the High School as well. He studied her for a moment as she walked up the side walk to the front door, and tried to remember if he had seen her before.

The house was a small, cozy little one floor home with tan bricks and several garden statues occupying hiding spots between the bushes. It was at the end of the street, spaced oddly away from the other houses, right next to where the road ended and became a dirt path leading onto someone's land that had been fenced off.

"Smells like Harold's baking something. That's good. Means Mr. Anderson might be in a good mood." Kelly then jammed the doorbell repeatedly while screaming, "Oh Mr. ANDERSON!"

"Kelly! I know you're out there! Knock it off!" came a yell from inside the house.

Kelly chuckled, "Yeah, he's in a good mood."

"Could have fooled me," grumbled Ace.

"Well, he hasn't thrown anything out the window yet, has he?"

Ace blinked at that. She said it like it was obvious, a normal occurrence.

What was he getting himself into?

Someone tried to open the door but it was stopped by a chain lock. The person on the other side of the door grumbled, then finely threw the door wide open.

"Ah, Kelly my girl! We were so worried about you!" the old man hugged Kelly and kissed her on the forehead. So, not Mr. Anderson.

"… And who's your friend?"

"Ace. He wants to join the youth group."

"I see. I'm Harold Mathews." Before he could question what they were talking about, he was ushered in. "Come in, come in. Cake should be done in a bit. Jeb is in the den watching some telly."

Harold turned to Kelly and said, "He's going to want to have a word with you."

"I figured as much" groaned Kelly.

Ace tried to follow her down the hall, but Harold grabbed him. "It's best to give them their privacy. It might get a little tense in there and I for one don't like getting stuck between those two when they fight. Well, hang your coat up and you can sit with me in the kitchen while we wait."

Ace quickly shed his jacket off, hung it on a hook next to the entrance and followed Harold. The old man pulled a chair out for him and ushered him to sit.

Harold took the seat across from him and propped his cane against the little Kitchen table. "Now, Jeb is the real provider here and he should be the one going over this, but I like helping out and I'm sure he would appreciate that I'm taking care of his least favorite aspect of new recruits."

"Let me start by explaining our role. The provider corps started back when some millionaire cooperate owner or something like that's oldest son got taken by the hero enlisters. So he helped start this underground system and massed produced products for us to help keep us all safe.

Providers take in people like us under their care and insure that we can live normal lives. They provide us with gear to make things easier. In Kelly's case for example, she needs specially designed shoes that won't tear apart when she runs. Not that she' supposed to do any running…" He eyed the kitchen door momentarily, then turned his attention back to Ace.

"For younger ones like you, they make sure you get trained. It takes a while, because of timing and subtlety but until then they'll make sure you won't have any accidents…Then there is a special unit that works undercover to bail out anyone that gets caught. I believe that I've covered everything…"

As an afterthought, he said, "Sorry I didn't ask before, but what exactly is your ability?"

"Telekinesis," Ace answered automatically.

"Oh dear…he's not going to like that one bit…Jeb has a thing against telekinesis."

"Why?"

"I honestly don't know…" Harold smiled mischievously as the oven opened up and a loaf of pound cake let itself out, flipped itself over on a serving plate and glided to the table.

It seemed so natural to Ace that it took him a minute to realize what was wrong with that scene. Harold crackled, "Sorry, but I give telekinetics a bad name. Would you care for a slice? It's my favorite, spice cake."

"He can have a tea party with you latter. We have business to take care of first." Another old man marched into the kitchen, scrawling. Yep, that had to be the Jack ass.

"Ace, this is Jebahdiah Anderson."

Jeb grunted and impatiently waved for them to follow him to a door at the back of the kitchen, which led to the basement.

"You can skip to the part about the rules; I covered the intro."

"The rules, then," Mr. Anderson said quietly as he carefully went down the stairs."

"First of all, I expect you to show up at all of your appointments. You're still in high school, right?"

"Yeah, I'm a sophomore," Ace answered distractedly while he looked around the underground room. It was dusty, dingy and piled with boxes; Just a normal basement.

"Then you'll be part of our youth group. That's our cover up. We're just some old lonely men trying to give back to the community. Meetings are on Friday's at 4," Mr. Anderson spun around and shook a finger in Aces face," And I mean it. You better show up. I don't appreciate my kindness being thrown back at me."

The provider went to the furthest wall and…did something. Ace couldn't see what he was doing from the angle he was watching from. Suddenly the wall pulled away, revealing an elevator. Smiling like a moron, Ace hopped in and grabbed onto the railing as it descended.

"If you can't make it, call. If you unexpectedly have to move, tell me and I'll hook you up with a new provider. If you so much as sneeze a strange way, tell me. I can't protect you if you keep secrets from me. That would be rule number two. Keep In contact with me as much as possible. The more I know about your life, the safer you are."

Ace's smile widened when the elevator stopped. It was just like something from the shows on T.V. The room had a round platform in the center where a table and chairs were set up. A super computer claimed the back wall and bins and boxes claimed whatever left over space was available.

He gasped in surprise when he was suddenly shoved against the wall and Jeb growled at him, "Rule number three…you are not a hero. There will be no gallantry, no foolhardy bravery. I don't care if it's a bridge about to collapse, or a cat stuck in a tree. You leave the saving to the heroes. Don't like it, then get out of here."

Jebadiah released him and started going through a file cabinet and collecting papers, "The whole point of this operation is to keep you out of the spot light. If you do something idiotic that could endanger the others under my care, I have the right to kick you out."

The provider walked up the ramp to the raised area and slammed the papers down. "The forth rule is secrecy. Not a word, or it's your head. I honestly don't give a damn if you change your mind and join the circus the feds are running. But keep in mind that we have a well connected network. If you try to let our little secret out, well…you won't be talking for long."

"What about my parents?"

The old man's eyes narrowed, "Not a word, especially to parents unless you want to be shipped off to be mind washed by the government. So, are you in?"

A question came to Ace, and while he knew it was silly of him, he just had to ask, "If I say no are you going to use some sort of mind erase on me?"

Jeb smirked, "No, with this economy mind erase spray is getting too expensive. We'll just clobber you over the head with a shovel and claim you were hallucinating."

Ace's goofy smile returned, "I'm in."

Jeb motioned to the pile of papers he had collected, "Alright then, read these thoroughly and fill them out."

The boy took a seat and as he was rereading one of the forms, Kelly came down in the elevator.

Mr. Anderson sneered at her, "I thought you were leaving."

"Wish I could, but I need a band. Are you going to do your job, or do I need to start hiking to the other side of town?" 7 took up a chair and stretched her arm out across the table.

Mr. Anderson took something out of the bins and scrawled, "Don't let this go to your head. The only reason I keep you is because you haven't given me a reason to deny you service …and Harold will nag at me until my dying day if I refuse a client."

"Dully noted." Kelly nodded in agreement.

Mr. Anderson tossed the object to Harold, who snapped it on Kelly's out stretched arm It was some sort of strange, neon blue glowing band that made a hissing sound and Kelly jumped at the contact.

Ace was pulled from his observations when the provider snatched up the papers from in front of him, and climbed down the ramp to the computer at the back. He could hear the man groan, "Good god, not another one…"

"So when do I start training?"

Jeb snapped around at the question, and glowered, "Not until we start our camping trips. I'm not going to take the risk of my bedroom furniture trying to take a stroll down the hall again."

"Am I going to get any cool gadgets?"

"Not at your age. Once you're through your developing stage though?" Jeb threw a box to Ace. He fumbled with it, but didn't drop it.

Ace's excitement was replaced with disappointment when he read the box's title. "'Nasal strips?' Aren't these for like, stopping you from snoring at night or something?"

"Or something. Even with years of training, telekenetics just can't control themselves while there asleep. It just feels so natural for your kind that it comes unbidden when you're in a relaxed state."

Jeb jabbed a finger at the other old man, "I started ordering those back when bozo over there dropped himself on top of a desk and screwed his leg up. But like I said, you won't be needing those until you're older."

Mr. Anderson pulled took out another band and demanded, "Hold your arm out."

"What is that?"

Jeb dangled it playfully from between two fingers and with a smirk answered, "Consider it your Pampers pull-up diaper."

"A power band; It will help keep your ability under control until you can do so yourself," Harold answered more helpfully.

Ace eyed the band nervously as the provider placed it on his upper left arm. It looked like a lava lamp, bright neon blue liquid swirling around within it.

Mr. Anderson adjusted the straps and announced with false cheer, "This shouldn't hurt a bit!" and snapped the device closed.

Ace screamed in surprise as a sudden burst of energy hit him. It was like living electricity snaking through his veins. He could feel it pulsing, moving around inside of him, and it made Ace sick to his stomach. He could feel it curling up in his chest…ringing in his ears…

"Are you okay? …Ace?"

Awareness came back in an instant, as if a flip had been switched. He tried to stand up from where he had apparently fallen from his chair but Harold kept him down.

"Easy! First time is always a dozzie."

Ace groaned and grasped the band that dug into his arm. "Shit…you could have warned me!"

"Well, I'm done with them. I'll be in the din if you need me." Jeb told Harold and left in the elevator.

Ace managed to pull himself up shakily. Harold stood behind him, ready to catch him if he faltered.

"I told you he was an ass," Kelly spit out bitterly.

Harold chided, "Now, be nice. He really could have denied you if he wanted to. He might act crude but he really does care for those under his supervision."

"Now come on, no need to stay in here. There's cake to be devoured. And Ace…" He pulled a card out of his vest. "This is for you in case something arises or if your parents would like to contact us. The information on the back is for if you need to find me at the school; I work there as a teacher."

"Thanks," Ace took the card put in his pocket, and rubbed his arm.

He could still feel the band pulsing.

* * *

Avery paced the room nervously, rubbing his arms and fluttering his wings in agitation. He was a bony teen with a long black braid running down between his feather covered appendages. He snapped his head up in fear every time he heard a noise. "Oh…he is not going to like this…no, no…he's not going to like this at all…"

"Oh, shut it, bird brain. It's your own fault for screwing up."

Avery shot the man lounging on the couch with a glare. He was brown haired, lean yet muscular man who oddly enough sprouted a tail and cat ears. His right eye was mechanical and tinted a dark, bloody red. "As if you've done any better, Marco. Not boasting about hacking the underground's main frame? Oh wait- you couldn't even get into the room!"

Marco growled and leapt to grab the skinny boy but the door opened, allowing light into the dark room. Avery and the man quickly bowed down on one knee for the siluate standing in the door way and gasped, "Master!"

"My beasts," returned a cheerful voice, "tell me how your missions went."

"You tell him," Hissed Avery to Marco.

"No, you first," the cat man hissed back.

"He's less likely to shoot you…" Avery stopped when he noticed his master's impatience by his skeptical look. The bird stuttered out, "W-we…we fai failed, Mr. Fabulous."

Avery squeaked and ducked when a lamp was lodged at his head. "You bungling fools! Is this how you repay me?! I, who took you into my care, made you stronger, cared for you as if you were my own blood?!"

"I-it's not that easy, sir. The underground has so—some sort of complicated system. We can't---"

"I don't care for your excuses. A rabbit always makes an escape hole; there is always a second entry."

"I don't even get why you're so agitated about the neutrals," Grumbled Marco, "How do those cowards fit into your master scheme?"

"Given the chance, they will jump out of their hole and help defend my sworn enemy. So they need to be crippled before things are put into motion. Besides, if I'm going to pull this off, I might as well get some revenge while I'm at it."

There master went back to the door and called, "Sierra!"

Avery recoiled, and even Marco seemed uneased by the name. Sierra was an older woman with thin toughs of wispy white hair. She was as pale as death and wore a hand sewn brown jacket with many pockets filled with needles and yarn. She crackled cheerfully as she entered the room, a doll that she had been working on still in her hands.

"Sierra, my dear lady," Mr. Fabulous took her hand and gave it a kiss, "I'm afraid my little buffoons have failed me." He spoke teasingly with mock distress.

Sierra hissed, "Sssso I've heard," and glared at the two henchmen.

"Make sure that there are no more mistakes, won't you? I would hate to have to end their miserable existence so soon because of their incompetence." Avery gulped loudly, and Sierra had picked a dusty chair and started to thread her needle threw the cloth.

" I've got an assignment for the three of you and you're going to absolutely love it, darling. After all, who better to frighten the rabbits then a snake?"

Sierra laughed shrilly at the idea. Finished with her little doll, she snapped the needle free and jabbed it into the doll's chest.

Avery jumped in shock when someone upstairs screamed in agony.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own.

Author Note: Just to clarify, since 9 takes place on a non existent plane, so does this. So, no offence to any American Indians, but in order to avoid the word "America", I have to use the term Native Indian instead, because it applies better here. Apologies if you prefure the first. This also means that every bodies favourite villain is ruling the land with an iron fist.

Oh, I completly forgot to mention last chapter...the vilian ideas are thanks to TheCrazyArtist. So lots of luvins to him for inspireing me. XD

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Brace Yourself

Chapter 2

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Caleb smiled tiredly as he sketched madly into his drawing pad. A strand of his long, curly rich brown hair fell in front of his dark almond eyes. He flicked it over his shoulder in annoyance.

He knew he was going to get in trouble with Mr. Anderson, but he couldn't help it. He hated that his provider made him wear that stupid metal headpiece that blinded him from his visions.

If he couldn't see, then he couldn't protect them.

He didn't have anything to worry about for the time being, though, for all he saw was good fortune. His smile widened and stroked the 9 that he had written in the corner. This was a special one, alright. He would do great things for their-

"CALEB! You better be dressed and out of bed! You're going to make us late!"

"Coming!" Caleb quickly stuffed his art notebook into his bag, searched his room franticly for anything he might be forgetting then ran out the door. He ran back a moment later and snatched the metal ring that sat haphazardly on a pile of books near his desk. Caleb placed it on his head, pulled his long hair over it and was out the door again.

He grabbed a sausage and egg biscuit sandwich and a bottle of milk that sat on the counter waiting for him as he ran by and went out front. Balancing his food in one hand, he pulled a key out of his hoodie pocket and locked the front door.

Caleb hopped into the front seat just as his mom finished buckling his baby sister in and started the car. His younger brother laughed as they pulled out of the drive way, "Perfect timing, Ceb!"

"Remember, I'm going to be late tonight so Jamie's mom is going to pick you up, David…" the ten year old cheered happily at that, "and dad's going to get Bailey from day care on his way home."

"You said before that you were going to walk home, Caleb. Are you sure you don't want me to find someone to pick you up? You don't look too well, sweetie."

"Just tired." Mumbled Caleb, he ducked his head and quickly took another bite out of his food so he wouldn't have to talk to his mom. Well, step-mom. His real mother died when he was eight, and his father remarried when he was twelve.

Where he and his father were Native Indians, his step-mother was a typical mixed race. David had his real father's black hair and hazel eyes and Caleb loved him as if he was his real brother. He was a sweet boy and loved watching him draw. But the baby looked too much like his step-mom for his liking, with her dirty blonde hair and round blue eyes.

"Alight, but if you get sick make sure to call, okay?" Caleb grumbled and whipped his hands on the napkin that his breakfast sandwich had been on. He knew his mom meant to call the neighbors or dad, not her.

The car came to a stop in front of the school. The artist quickly snatched up his half empty bottle and bag.

His mom called after him as he jumped out of the car, "Have a good day!"

"Sure, you too." He answered back halfheartedly. He was already searching the clumps of students for a familiar face.

Spotting a familiar hoodie, he walked quickly over to the bench that the others were gathered at. The twins gave him a welcoming hug. There hoods were down, since they weren't allowed to have them on while on school grounds. Izzie, the older sibling by seven minutes, had her short, light brown brown hair pulled into a pony tail on the side of her head. Ian, the younger brother, had shaggy brown hair, but definitely not as long as Caleb's. Matching glasses hid bright hazel eyes.

"Morning, Ceb!" called out Andrew cheerfully, "Rough night?" Andrew was a brown haired, freckled, happy-go-lucky junior, and the best kind of friend to have. He had his eye patch off today, and the tip of his scar could barely be seen from where his hair obscured it from view.

Before he could answer Kelly forced him to sit down and asked worriedly, "You were looking again, weren't you?"

Caleb nodded his head meekly.

"I'm thinking about skipping this Friday; pretend to be sick or something." Announced Andrew, "Between this, Kelly coming back, and what the twins did…Mr. A is going to blow his top off…"

Caleb tilted his head in curiosity, "Ian and Izzie did something?"

The siblings smiled broadly, and pulled up their sleeves to reveal what they did. Their glowing orange bands, and the extra metal one under it, had been drawn over with an array of different colored sharpies. Then the doodles proceeded to crawl down their arms. And it smelt like sharpies. The chances they would get it all off by Friday was slim.

"This is just the minimal of the damage," said Kelly, "You do not want to know what they did to their family dog. We think they got into their dad's liquor cabinet, or inhaled a lot of sugar. We're hoping for the later."

Ian lifted up his shirt to reveal that they hadn't stopped at just their arms, and proceeded with making his belly button talk.

Caleb covered his mouth in an attempt to stop himself from laughing, and Andrew groaned.

"Oh, I just remembered something! More 'bad news' to add to the list; there's—"Kelly was cut off by the first warning bell. "Crap! My first class is all the way on the other side---I'll tell you guys at lunch!" With a wave good bye, she ran off into the building.

The remaining four walked slowly into the building, enjoying their few minutes together. They talked for a few minutes in the hall, until the second bell rang. Caleb walked down to his class at the end of the hall, and took his seat at the back of the class room.

There was a substitute, so they only had a few worksheets and the rest of the class was dedicated to caching up in the book they were supposed to read. Caleb had his note book sitting off to the side, and would lazily doodle something every once in a while.

It was a pretty normal, laid back day, until he noticed a book hovering above someone's desk.

Caleb's eyes went wide with surprise. His visions never happened so soon…no, it had to be coincidence. This was nothing like anything he saw in his dream, and his visions were always accurate.

The boy seemed to be dozing, unaware of the danger he was in. But no one else seemed to have noticed either. He quickly got up and strode to the other side of the class room as if he was going to the pencil sharpener and pushed the book down as he went past it.

The boy startled awake and tried to say something, but Caleb put a finger to his mouth, and walked away.

The minuet class was over, Caleb grabbed the boy before he could run off and dragged him into the nearest bathroom. That particular restroom was hardly ever used because it was in a low traffic area, and most tried to avoid it because one of the stall doors had fallen off and was replaced with a shower curtain. But just to be safe, Caleb locked the door.

The native faced his captive and fidgeted nervously, not sure how to handle the newly found super boy. He had always been rather fidgety around strangers, and much like Kelly, had never introduced another into their hidden world. "You need help," he stuttered nervously, "they'll t-take you away if they find you!"

Ace was confused for a moment until he realized what this other boy was and why he was so upset. "Umm…no, no, sorry for confusing you, but I already have a provider, see?" He pulled up his sleeve to show his band, but its color had faded out. Ace tapped it with a frown, "I think it busted or something. I was going to go see Mr. Anderson after school about it."

Caleb grabbed his shoulder with a shaking hand and yelled, "You need to get out of here now. It's not safe!"

"Its fine—" Ace tried to push him off, but the crazed teen wouldn't let him go.

Caleb shook his head, making his long hair fling around him, "No. You need to get out. You can't get caught. Y-you can't. Go to Mr. Mathews. He'll get you out."

Ace blinked. "Who?"

"Harold! Harold Mr. Mathews! Go, go!" Caleb unlocked the door and shoved him.

"Alright, alright!" Ace waved him off and pulled out the little card the kind old man had given him the other day.

Harold was a cute old man, with a ridiculously large pair of glasses and a smile that never seemed to fade. He usually wore a vest over a button down shirt and often had his trusty cane nearby. He was praised by his students as the best teacher ever and was a grandfather to many.

Ace found the provider's assistant outside of his class room. He was greeted with a warm, "Hello Ace. Is everything alright?"

"…no sir."

In an instant, he was rushed inside and the door was shut quickly. "What seems to be the matter?"

Ace grabbed his arm reflexively, "My band broke and I…I lost control."

"Did anyone see you?" He watched Ace with a measured look as he absently dug something out of his desk.

"Yeah, some crazy black haired boy…he told me to go to you."

Harold sighed in relief, "Caleb. It's alright, he's one of ours. Is there anyone that can come take you home?"

"Yeah, my mom doesn't work…why?" What did his mom have to do with this? It wasn't like he could tell her he was having issues of the super natural sort.

The kind old man shoved a nurse's pass and a plastic gift card at him. "I'm sending you to the nurse's office. When you get home I want you to sneak out and go to Jeb. Hand him the card; he'll understand." Ace raised an eye brow, but didn't comment. Harold seemed to know what he was doing…for the most part.

Ace had started for the door, when he remembered something particularly annoying about their current nurse. "What if the nurse won't let me go? I don't even have fever or anything."

A familiar, mischievous glint fell into Harold's eyes, and held up a round white pill. "I thought you would never ask. Trust me, it can be taken care of."

* * *

_Jeb stormed down the hall, snarling. He took a quick turn into the office and was about to berate his mentor for demanding his attention at such short notice. He couldn't just drop everything and come running at every beck and call, not with his new responsibilities._

_He stopped short though, the words caught in his throat when he saw his old teacher hunched over his desk, sobbing. The room was dark, the bright light from the sunset coming in through the large windows setting everything into shadows and silhouettes._

"_They took him away…I can't believe…he was so young! They've never taken such a young child before…" the man's gargle was cut off by a heave of sorrow. Jeb hesitated, unsure of what to do. He wasn't used to comforting people, especially not his mentor. They had never been close; there were times when Jeb couldn't stand him at all._

_He was saddened by the announcement, but Jebadiah was a man of reason, not the kind that wore their heart on their shoulder. "He's gone. There's nothing we can do."_

_His mentor sniffled, and finally looked up, "No, but there is something that you can do for me. Promise me…that you'll do everything within your power to keep children from being taken. No parent disserves to be put through this."_

_Jeb didn't say a word. He wasn't about to promise something that he couldn't prevent. Yet he knew that something indeed had to be done, or else no child would be safe. So he gave a hesitant nod._

"_And one other thing, get rid of THAT," his ex-teacher pointed to a cage sitting at the edge of the desk, "I don't care what you do with it, just get rid of it."_

_Jeb stepped closer, and peered in at the little mouse behind the bars. It wasn't a normal sort of mouse though. Its body was oddly distorted, as if someone had squeezed its chest in, and its eyes were an unnatural bright red. "He did this?"_

_The other man nodded, "I told him not to, but he didn't listen and they saw him…I don't think he has a connection to her though."_

_Jeb bent down and eyed the rodent carefully, "But she can sense him, apparently. I didn't know it was possible to have a one-way connection between a creation and a creator."_

"_It's possible, but uncommon because most learn how to avoid such issues before they make their first creation."_

_The young Jeb stood and picked the cage up. "I'll keep her for now. Who knows, She might be of some use —"_

DING-DONG!

Jeb startled awake at the sound, and it took him a moment to collect himself and recognize where he was at. He was in his old brown recliner by the window in the din. His pet mouse, Agatha, sat quiet and obediently on his shoulder.

The T.V was off and his son, Blake, was laying stretched out on the floor, working from a math booklet. Jeb had adopted him from one of his ex-clients. The girl in question had disappeared for a year. Jeb didn't worry about it; it was out of his hands.

But then her boyfriend had dragged her out hiding, and the child had been figuratively left on his doorstep. Jebadiah didn't have the heart to get rid of him, especially since he had a high chance of developing an unusual ability considering that both of his parents had powers.

So he raised Blake as his own. When he retired as a teacher, he started home-schooling his adopted son. It made things easier and eliminated the risk of Blake getting caught. He was unusually large for a 15 year old boy (Jeb blamed it on his ability) and as he got older it became increasingly harder to hide the truth. But now with his son out of the school system, it was easier to hide his age and claim that he was older.

Blake had started to get up at the sound of the door, but Jeb shoved his dirty blond head back down and growled, "I can get it…I'm not that old yet." He placed Agatha back in her cage that rested on a little stand by the entrance.

The door rang again, this time two quick ones. Jebadiah narrowed his list of suspects by half just by the door bell ring. It couldn't have been any of his older visitors, they knew to be patient with him and yet it wasn't as impatient a ring as when Kelly or another delinquent was at the door.

Mr. Anderson was expecting anything, from the FBI, to someone announcing that he was invited to their wedding, to the police explaining that Harold died in a boating accident…while at school. Unfortunately, he wasn't expecting his newest adolescent client, painting while holding out a pass.

Passes, usually a gift card from a bar that most providers used as a safe point, meant that Harold had pulled through for him and got one of his kids out of a tight spot. It also meant that they had in fact seen Harold first and didn't strait out run to him out of panic or fear.

Jeb snatched the card out of the teen's hand and motioned for him to come in.

"I didn't get a call. Your parents take the news well?" Jeb cursed under his breath when he nearly lost his footing. He hated those stairs. If it wouldn't look suspicious, he would have them replaced.

"Not really. They didn't believe it at first. It…took some conversing." Ace blushed and tried to look away as the elevator descended.

Jeb gave him an unimpressed look.

Ace managed to mumble, "Umm…I told them a cute girl asked me to join. THAT, they believed."

Jeb had to admit it was somewhat clever, and the truth really, but still…he rolled his eyes. _Teenagers_…

The old grump waited until Ace was seated before asking, "Alright, what happened then?"

Unsure of how to explain his situation, Ace pulled up his sleeve to reveal his power band.

Jeb screamed at the sight, "WHAT DID YOU DO?! Do you realize how much each of those bands is worth?! We might get to borrow them for free, but any damage done to the equipment has to be paid for!!"

"I…I'm sorry! It was hurting, and when I tried to loosen it, it—it just broke!"

The provider removed the band carefully and examined it. He poked and prodded the band a bit while muttering to himself, "Looks like the power…thing blew out…Harold might be able to fix it…" Mr. Anderson left it on the table and spun around at Ace, "When did it start hurting?"

"Umm…The minute you put it on? I thought that was normal though, so I just ignored it. It was still throbbing this morning though. I tried to loosen it or something and it just…broke."

Old man Anderson frowned in thought. "It's not supposed to throb. Stings something awful when you're not used to it, but it shouldn't last that long. I wonder…"

Jeb pulled out another band, but this one was purple. Ace gowned, he really didn't want to put another one back on, but the provider wasn't going to give him a break. He prepared himself, but he still hissed at the uncomfortable feeling of energy rushing through his body.

"How does this one feel?"

Ace covered his mouth, and concentrated on breathing. He really didn't want to blow his guts for a second time that day. After a moment he managed to get out, "Give me a minuet… I'll let you know when I don't feel like throwing up."

Jeb pulled out a trash can that had been concealed under the table and dropped it beside him. "Don't get any on my floor. I hate having to mop down here," and went back to the bins and boxes and returned with another band. Ace groaned in dismay at the sight.

Jeb rolled his eyes. "This is the last one. If this doesn't work, you're screwed."

"That's nice to know…" Ace grumbled miserably. Jeb removed the purple band and before he could catch his breath, his arm was being straggled by the new one.

Ace waited for the initial rush to fade, and let out a breath of relief at the lack of nausea. "I guess this is better."

Jeb wasn't as relieved as his client and groaned, "Just as I feared."

Turning to look over the back of his chair, Ace asked, "Does this mean I'm super powerful or something?"

"No, it means your control is absolutely atrocious!" the provider barked, "You better not break this one. I hardly have to use bands that strong so I only have two in stock. And I don't plan on ordering more."

"I'll try not to. Does it have to be this tight though?" When he reached to try to adjust the straps, his hand was slapped away.

"Yes. And don't mess with it! Now get. I don't want to see you again until Friday." Ace rushed to do just that, and ran into a pile of boxes in his haste.

Jeb slumped into the abandoned chair and pleaded, "God grant me patience…I'm going to need it to survive this one…"

* * *

Author note: Well, hope this wasn't too bad...I'm treading into unknown waters with this whole 6I!Indian thing, but my goal for this is to build the characters in a way that hasn't been done before, and it felt like it fit 6 for some strange reason. On another note, the location is based off of my home town. Since I'm working with so many questionable new ideas, I wanted to use at least one thing familiar. Our school bathroom really did have shower curtains in it. :/ That's how bad funding sucked. And its a small town, so we only had two Jr. highs and one high school. But it was big enough that everyone did not know everyone else...We were all just cramped together.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own.

Author Note: Yes, I know, it's been awhile. But in my defense my computer broke- well, technically it still worked but typing was a hassle…anyway, everything's hunky dory now, so I'm back to writing. My other stories should be updated sometime this month as well. This one was almost complete before the incident, which is why it got done first.

Okay, I'm going to try something new, because that's what this story is all about; trying new things. And I want to play a game…I like playing games. I've hidden a quote in this story from my new favorite T.V series. Whoever finds and states what show it's from first, gets a prize. The winner will get to have their "9" oc make a cameo appearance in this fic, humanized with a supper power of their choice. Or, if they don't like that idea, they can have a one shot of their choosing. If this goes well, I might do it again. So happy hunting! ;)

P.S: songs DON'T count!

**Edit: **We have a winner: Beachcat! the answer was, "Welcome to the Deep End, Little one." from _Caprica._

------------------

Brace Yourself

Chapter 3

-----------------

"cuz your hot an' your cold, your hmm dum hum hmm…" Kelly hummed absentmindedly as she dug a jar of peanut butter out of the cabinet and lathered up a slice of bread. Friday…her first Friday back. This was going to prove interesting.

She ran a finger over the butter knife and licked it clean, not wanting to waist any of the sticky goodness. "… It's black and it white, We fight and break up, we kiss and make up…" the knife clattered loudly in the sink. "Yeah…out of all of the songs to get stuck in my head, it had to be that one…"

"Keeeellllly! Are you home?!"

She groaned at her mother's call. "Speak of the devil….sort of…"

"Oh, there you are." Her mom strode into the small kitchen and draped herself over the counter. She was absolutely gorgeous, with long flowing blonde hair, a perfect complexion and a charming smile. That was her mom, alright, Ms. super model wannabe. "Why don't we go out and do something tonight, Hm?"

Kelly put the jar back in its proper place and without turning around asked in a Deadpanned voice, "Did Nathan dump you?"

"Heavens no! What makes you think that?"

Kelly rolled her eyes at her mom's over dramatic response. "That tends to be the pattern…"

"I was just thinking that It's been so long since we had a girl's night out."

Kelly folded her piece of bread over, grabbed her bag off of the kitchen chair and walked at a quick pace for the front door. "It's Friday."

Unfortunately, her mom followed. "Exactly! Time to celebrate the weekend; Don't' have to worry about school or work-"

"My youth group? I'm heading over there right now, actually. And don't even ask about Saturday. I have a match tomorrow- Bye!" To make the end of the conversation clear, she slammed the door in her mom's face.

Oh, she gave her points for trying, but she had her own life. And it didn't involve her mom trying to relive her glory days through her.

She took a bite out of her sandwich and made her way down the street to the twins' house.

As Kelly came to the house at the end of the cul-de-sac, she could hear someone, most likely their grandmother, from inside the house shout, "Just forget it! You're just making a bigger mess! Out, out!"

She smiled at the two hooded teens that came racing out of the front door. "Have you ever gone a day without causing trouble?"

They shrugged in unison and fell into step behind her. Three cul-de-sacs down was the street Jeb's house was on. Parked in front of the window to the den were two bikes. Both Caleb and Andrew lived farther away and had to ride to the provider's house.

Kelly let herself in. Mr. A was expecting them and the two older men were probably busy making preparations. She shoved the last bit of sandwich into her mouth, flung her bag onto the only couch in the small living room and dug a water bottle out. She took a quick swing from it and hurried down the hall to the den.

The den had originally been a garage, but Mr. Anderson had it converted because his living room wasn't very spacious and visitors were often running back and forth through it.

The twins immediately rushed to Agatha's cage and tried to coax the rat out.

Kelly smiled at the sight of Andrew talking quietly to Ace. She ran up and playfully jabbed Andrew in the shoulder, "So you showed up after all!"

He shoved her back, "I'm just here for Harold's cooking."

Jeb paced by the room, hollering, "Blake! Get out here you lazy no good…probably playing those stupid video games again…" he backtracked and yelled at the twins, "Put Agatha back in her cage! You know better!"

Izzy quickly put the mouse away, and smiled innocently. The doorbell rang, and Mr. A quickly shoved the box he was carrying into Ian's hands and went to get the door. Ian placed the box in its hiding spot in the hidden cabinet of the T.V stand and went to hang his head out of the den's doorway with the others.

"What are you doing here?!"

"What? I can't stop by to visit my old teachers?" A tall young woman stood in the doorway. She had black hair that caressed over her shoulders and was wearing a knitted blue poncho with white frills.

"Not unannounced, you can't!" Jeb shouted, "And what is with the bags?"

She raised one of the bags, "Groceries."

Jeb snatched it from her, "I told you before, I'm not an invalid yet! I can buy my own food, thank you very much!"

She shrugged, and took that as an invitation to step out of the door way and into the house. "It's not for you. Harold asked for it."

Mr. Anderson paled at what he found in the bag. "Please don't tell me this is all cake mix…"

She shrugged again, "No, there's brownie mix and chocolate chips and other stuff for cookies too."

Jeb turned and hollered, "HAROLD!"

Harold popped out of the kitchen. "You yelled?"

"What is the meaning of this!" Jeb shook the bag for emphasis.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"This!" Jeb shook the bag again. "Why did you get Becky into delivering groceries?"

He smiled, "Well, I was low on supplies and she offered to pick them up for me on her way here."

Becky pulled out a package from one of the bags. "Surprise! I wanted to deliver this personally." She walked up to Ace and offered it to him. She smirked as he stared at the brown package bag in confusion and announced, "Welcome to the deep end, little one."

She gave farewell to Jebadiah and left promptly. The provider huffed, and went to into the den to find Ace still starring at the package. "Well? Are you going to open it anytime today?"

As 9 tore the package open, 5 asked, "Who was that?"

"Becky? She's the other provider for this area. Used to be one of my own." Jeb went to the T.V stand, took his box out, and sat it on the couch.

9 held up the contents of the package, and the black cloth unfolded to revel it to be a hoodie.

"Let's see it, go and put it on," Prompted Harold excitedly.

9 quickly threw it on and pulled the zipper up half way.

Jeb nodded his approval. "You're officially registered, now."

Ace's hand brushed over the brown patch, "What's the 9 for?"

"Easy identification," Mr. A answered as he opened his box and laid out the bands that were inside it, "Your full number is 0625- the area, JA01-your provider, U18y- your…position if you will, and finely you -AH09. Most will only ask for the last number."

"I believe we're ready to begin…" Jeb saw Harold trying to sneak away and snapped at him, "Don't think I'm done with you yet! And would you get that no good son of mine? Stupid boy is probably rotting his brains away."

The provider looked over the group, his gaze falling on Kelly."You're up first, brat."

She rolled her eyes, but obediently stepped forward and let Jebahdiah switch out the bands on her arm. "You don't have any broken limbs so I assume you've been keeping out of trouble?"

Kelly just nodded.

"What does he mean?" Ace whispered to Andrew, who had been kind enough to offer help as needed.

"See, people with a speed power have to be able to make snap decisions and keep up with the speed of their bodies. Otherwise, You'll hit a lot of tree branches and walls. And if she's at her top speed when it happens? Well, full body casts are hard to explain to parents." He flinched at the idea.

Harold reentered the room then, with Blake in tow.

Jeb picked his next victim, "Caleb, your next."

The artist's eyes went wide in surprise and he shook his head in protest.

"We don't have time for your games Caleb! Get over here now."

Caleb flinched and looked around the room wildly for a hiding place.

Harold, ever a saint, offered, "Jeb, let me take him into the room and check his equipment. It will be easier for him when---"

"No," Jeb snapped back, "He has better control than any other seer that I've had the misfortune to provide for and you know it. I'm not going to baby him anymore. It's about time that he's gotten over this ridiculous fear." He turned back to the darker skinned boy, "Get over here."

Caleb hung his head and quickly went to Mr. Anderson's side. The old man pushed him into the arm chair and grabbed his arm. "No compilations?" The provider removed the old orange band and replaced it with a new one.

"N…no sir," Caleb stuttered.

"He can see the future," Kelly offered Ace helpfully.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, he doesn't like doing it around people though, it's too distracting. We almost lost him once." Kelly whispered sadly.

Andrew added, "There hasn't been a seer yet that hasn't gone off the deep end. They're hopeful that he'll be the first."

Caleb flinched when Jeb walked behind the arm chair and brought a hand to either side of his head. The provider berated him halfheartedly, "For heaven's sakes you silly boy, relax. You act as if this is your first time." When Caleb didn't calm down he added, "This is the only warning you're getting."

Caleb closed his eyes and breathed deeply, in and out. Jeb waited until the fifth inhale to move. Ace was surprised when Jeb pulled up a metal ring that had been hidden under Caleb's hair.

Mr. Anderson gave it a quick look over and placed it back. "It's in working order. Actually, I've been trying to order you something a bit more comfortable and discrete. They're a pain to get a hold of, but we wouldn't have to worry so much about you getting caught or damaging it so it'd be worth the hassle."

Caleb quickly got out of the way and joined Kelly and the others.

"Hey, M…Mr. Anderson? Can I…" Andrew tried to ask, but was cut off.

"No."

"But I…"

"No!" Mr. A snapped, "You're not allowed to touch any of my house appliances and you know it!"

" …I was going to ask If I could get a drink." Andrew finally managed to get out.

He blinked at the eye patched teen. "Why are you even asking? You know where the fridge is, go get it yourself." Jeb reconsidered and said, "get up here first."

Mr. Anderson slapped a new orange band on him and allowed him to go into the kitchen.

"Technopathic," Kelly said, "except he doesn't really have the know-how for most electronics and ends up blowing them up. I feel real sorry for him. After having to make up all of those excuses for his burns, his parents started thinking he's a pyro or something. Poor Andrew never gets a break," she let out a sigh.

"Alright twiddle dee and twiddle dumb, let's see the damage you've done this time." Mr. A was not impressed with their body art. "What part of expensive equipment don't you get?! Wash this crap off!" The twins stuck their tongues out at him in defiance. After exchanging their orange bands, Mr. Anderson ripped the extra band that was on their arms off.

Suddenly the twins snapped to each other, as if an invisible force had pulled on them. They struggled to separate, but to no avail.

"Magnetic," Caleb explained this time, "but, one's positive and the other's negative. So...this happens."

Jeb thrust the bands at them and turned to his son. "Blake, take them into the kitchen and see to it that they clean up." The large boy chuckled mincingly and hauled the twins up, yanked them apart, and flung them over either shoulder. Blake grabbed the rat cage as he passed by when it wobbled unsteadily in an attempt to fallow them.

Ace shook his head in disbelief. All this time he thought he had issues…

Jeb looked around at his remaining victims, his gaze landing on Ace. "Alright new boy, get up here."

Ace tensely moved to the arm chair. "That band is good for a few more days, but I'm going to replace it with a fully charged one anyway." The provider switched the bands and booted him out of the chair.

Andrew came back with the twins, who had to be pried from the sink and had several magnets attached to them (courtesy of Blake) just in time to see Jeb turn on Harold.

"You! What do you think you were doing sneaking behind my back! You don't need that many sweets at your age! You'll rot your teeth out!"

"It isn't like I eat it all myself, and I have dentures!"

"I wonder why?!"

"Don't you just love it when they act like an old married couple?" Kelly chirped happily.

"They aren't really married, though, are they?" Caleb asked as he continued to watch the old men bicker.

"I've been wondering that myself, actually." Andrew admitted, "Harold does live here, but they don't share a room."

They all tilted their heads in the same direction in thought.

Friday evening at Jebaidiah Anderson's house; good times.

-------------

_A small boy by the name of Bryce sat sadly in the corner of his dad's home office, cradling his pet mouse._

_It wasn't right, though. The mouse wasn't moving, wasn't breathing. He asked his father to fix his little mouse, he knew his daddy could, but his dad told him no, that it wasn't right. Then his father had rushed out to meet someone important and commanded him to stay in the study and be quiet._

_Bryce didn't understand though. The mouse didn't disserve to be dead. It had been a good mouse and kept him happy when father was busy, or when he wasn't allowed to play with his baby brother. _

_So, cupping the cold little body in his hands, he took a deep breath, filled the air entrapped in his lungs with his essence, and slowly released it over the mouse._

_Bryce cheered in joy as his little friend twitched back to life._

"_That is quite a talent you have, young man."_

_Bryce quickly stood and hid behind his father's desk. Guests weren't allowed up stairs, and Bryce wasn't supposed to be seen._

_The stranger turned and smirked at his father standing in the doorway, out of breath. "You never told me you had a son."_

"_My family life is none of your concern!"_

"_It is when you've been hiding a child with potential. I should have you arrested for such treason. Luckily for you though, scientist, you're of no use to me behind bars."_

_Soldier's hands grabbed Bryce, dragged him away, kicking and screaming, reaching out for his father…_

_He didn't like the chancellor. The man came to his small white room and demanded so much for him. _

"_Bring this man back to life!"_

"_Make him stronger, make him evincible!"_

"_Give me the ultimate soldier."_

_It always took so much energy out of him…too much…but he knew, any day now, his father would come for him. He had heard rumors of the rebels. He knew his dad had to be behind it, only he had the power and wisdom to pull it off. _

_He was coming…._

_He never came._

_It had been years, so many years. Others were freed, others were saved._

_But no one ever came for him._

_His dad didn't care about him anymore. The only one that cared was the chancellor. He was the only one that visited anymore, after he killed the guards over and over again._

_Only the chancellor could subdue him._

_How Brice hated that man. Both him and his father. It was their faults! They disserved to suffer! One Day! …_

_One…_

_Day…._

"Master?"

"Hm?" He looked up from his desk, to see his cat beast standing in the doorway.

Marco gave a polite bow, "I'm sorry for disturbing you, master, I just wanted to inform you that we're leaving soon."

The bony man waved for him to come closer. "Come here, Marco."

The beast man took an obedient step forward.

His master waved his hand again. "Closer…" Another few steps… "Closer…"

Marco stood uncertainly next to his master. Mr. Fabulous was a very quirky man, but he had never acted like this before!

Bryce Fabulous looked him over, contemplating something. Marco forced his ears to stay upright and asked, "….Sir?"

Making up his mind, his master grabbed his head and forced it into his lap. Startled, Marco tried to pull away, but his head was held tightly as his master started to stroke him. Marco had to stop himself from struggling. The last thing he wanted was for his master to get irritated with him while he was still clutching his head.

"One day soon, they will suffer."

------------

Author Note: (insert mad laughter) *gasp* Oh…my goodness…lol….now I have images of the fabrication machine holding the cat beast and stroking it stuck in my head; Because there is something evil about having a cat in your lap while you stroke it. I've tried it before. It really will make you feel very evil indeed. Add a mischievous grin and a few deep laughs, and people will run away in fear.

…I'm…not quite sure if that works with cat men….poor Marco…^^:

We should see more of their world next chapter…hopefully.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own 9, and 81 (aka Jessie) belongs to BeachCat.

Author Note: Gasp! I know, more than one post a month! Don't get used to being spoiled. This has to be the fastest chapter I've written so far.

Last round went great, so I'm doing it again. I added a twist. I've hidden two quotes this time, and both are two liners (two people talking to each other). The winners that find the quotes get to have an OC guest star in this fic, or an alternate prize of a one shot. To be fair, you can only claim one quote. And it was also decided last round that you can use the internet to your advantage. It's no use to you though if you can't find the quote first.

The first quote is very tricky. The only hint your getting is that it's from a computer game. Second quote, I tried to make as easy as possible. It's from a kid's live action movie sequel. It's not Disney, but it airs on the Disney channels.

Have fun!

**Edit:** We have one winner so far, CreativeJournalist. the harder quote was "...I still have nightmares about that cat." "What cat?" from _Half-life 2_.

We have our second winner now, FaerieDeathKat. The second quote was "...We're childern not monsters" "What's the difference?" from _Spy kids 2_.

* * *

Brace Yourself

Chapter 4

------------------

"Stupid crazy woman…I feel like a pedophile." Marco grumbled, "What's the point of this?" He leaned back into the leather seat, rolled down the window and lit a cigarette. Mocking Sierra's voice, he whined, "Look out for anything weird and don't get in my way."

He took a puff and blew out, "What the hell does she mean weird? The weirdest thing I've seen these past three weeks is some lesbians making out." He chuckled; that had been fun. He drove right up beside the sign that they were hiding behind and honked at them. He'd never seen anyone jump that high before.

Well, then again, there was also a group of kids that wore similar hoodies, each with a different number on it. It was rather odd, but not weird. They were just kids. Though, right? It could have been a new trend starting up. Still, the oddity caught his attention.

There were two main separate groups; One with six kids, and two loners that walked home in the opposite direction. One from the group of six was picked up, leaving the other five to walk. He had fallowed them once out of boredom. About two streets later one of them peeled off and went his own way. The remaining four continued to the park, and sat there together for a while. Marco excused himself at that point.

Today, though, he was stalking the loners. There was no one else around, and he was sure that they couldn't see him from around the corner. One kid kept turning, as if she knew he was there, so he had to be careful. The other seemed normal enough, until he sneezed a wad of magma out. The girl quickly pulled some sort of odd container out of her friend's backpack and scooped the cooling rock into it. She looked around again, and tried to hurry her friend along.

Marco smiled and mentally marked "Find something weird" off of his to do list.

* * *

It was starting to get warmer out and there were a few grass sprouts, even some birds singing. Ace gave a wave to Caleb as he hopped into his mom's van, and they fell into formation as they slowly made their way home.

Andrew walked behind the twins, rolling his bike along. Kelly took lead, leaving Ace somewhere between the others, usually changing his pace depending on who he was talking to.

That had become their norm.

A norm that was about to be broken.

Ace was the one that had noticed her first. "That Girl's been following us since the last street."

Kelly halted and spun around. She recognized the patched hoodieeven though the number, 81, was on the wrong arm. She wondered how the girl managed to keep it like that for so long without having every member of the provider corps trying to snatch it away and fix it. Customization was allowed, but there were some lines you just couldn't cross.

The twin's had their matching blue hoodies, Caleb had his black and white stripes, and this girl had a gray one with darker gray stripes. Kelly hadn't wanted to bother to switch hoodies and kept the classical black one they were all given. Ace seemed to have a similar opinion, or just didn't know. Kelly had seen some weirder customizations, some she wished she could forget, but never before had she seen someone get away with wearing their patch on the wrong side.

Kelly instantly liked her, just for that fact.

She called out and waved, "Hey, you! Your one of Becky's, right? Your pretty far from home if you're going this way. Did you need something?"

The girl in question flinched in surprise, and ran to catch up with them. "I'm sorry, normally I don't come this way and I got kind of turned around… Anyway, my friend is home sick so I had to walk home by myself and there is this weirdo following me!"

"A weirdo?" questioned Andrew. She was a cute girl with wavy chin length brown hair and dimples. If Andrew remembered correctly, she had been in his freshmen art class and went by the name Jessie.

Jessie blushed and fiddled with a large dented ring on her finger, "Yeah… He's been driving around here for a while. I just thought he was picking someone up, but then he started driving after my friend and me the other day…" she looked over her shoulder squinting in the direction where the man was supposedly hiding," …and he's following me now…"

"Well, we'll take you to our provider and see if he can't get you on the right side of town. I think that's the most we can do…" Ace offered.

Kelly broke in and exclaimed proudly, "I have a plan."

Andrew backed up, a look of dread on his face when Kelly turned to him. "Why are you starring at me like that?"

"c'mon, you've rigged cars before."

"On accident! What makes you think I can do it intentionally without blowing us up?!"

"Call it an instinctive hunch."

"Your "instinctive hunch" is what got us stuck in a tree last week!"

Ace paled at the memory. "Forget the tree. I still have nightmares about that cat."

Kelly rolled her eyes, "Oh, details, details."

Jessie blinked in confusion, "What cat?"

The car pulled around the corner, and Kelly waved her hand at it, shouting, "Hey, over here!"

Andrew grabbed her and hissed, "What is wrong with you?! This is how people get kidnapped!"

The car halted in front of them and the window rolled down, letting out the smell of smoke. "What?"

The man was wearing a grey Fedora hat and sunglasses. He taped his amber red cigarette on the edge of the window, causing the end to break off.

He certainly seemed suspicious, just like the kind of person that would abduct and rape an innocent child.

Kelly didn't seem fazed at all. "Nice car. Did you customize it yourself?"

The stranger frowned, "It's…not customized."

"What model is it?"

Andrew sighed, and mentally cursed at Kelly for forcing him into acting. He reached out and touched the car while Kelly had him distracted.

"Look brat, I don't have time to play-Ahh!" The man cut off and hollered in surprise when his car convulsed. The alarm went off, the wipers went out of control, and the radio played for a few minutes before sparks flew out of it and died.

The stranger threw the door open and fell onto the sidewalk in his hurry, one hand holding his hat to his head, screaming, "Shit! Shit, shiten fucking mother of crap!"

"Looks like it needs some work on it. Have fun with that. Bye!" Kelly shouted over her shoulder, already running off with the other teens.

"Sierra's going to kill me with her freaky voodoo crap when she finds out…" Marco groaned as he sat up, and his hand brushed against something.

Marco raised an eyebrow at the yellow flyer that must have fallen out of one of the brat's backpacks.

"what's this?"

* * *

Ace dumped his backpack by the door, kick his shoes off, and rounded the sofa to greet his little sister.

"Hey Helen! How was your day sweetheart?" Ace asked lovingly as his mentally challenged sister played with some blocks on the floor. The five year old gurgled something incomprehensible at him.

"I wish you would stop messing around after school; you know I need the help." His mom accused. She placed the newspaper she had been reading on the coffee table, "and I don't like the looks of those kids you've been hanging out with."

Ace felt his nose twitched, and quickly buried his face into his elbow and sneezed. He frowned, hopping he wasn't coming down with something. Shaking it off, he said, "Mom, there not gangsters or anything," The idea was laughable, considering the rural little town they occupied that was surrounded by farm land. "You would like Andrew. I could always invite them over…"

"No. Not when the house is a wreck," came the firm verdict.

Ace rolled his eyes, under the impression that a few toys and clothes on the floor didn't count as a wreck. "What if I clean?"

"My answer still stands as a no. Watch Helen while I make dinner." Ace groaned but none the less sat down on the carpet in front of his sister.

Helen chirped and waved a building block at him. Smiling, he took the offering and whispered, "Do you want to see something cool?"

He took a quick glance at the kitchen to make sure his mom couldn't see, then levitated the block a few inches off of his hand, then let it drop. Helen squealed in delight.

Ace whispered teasingly, "This is our little secret. Don't tell anyone." His little sister patted the block in his hand, and he swore she gurgled out a mangled version of the word, "secret". He didn't care what people told him, he really believed Helen could understand more then what they gave her credit for.

He kissed her on the forehead and cooed, "You are such a sweetheart. Man, I need to get Kelly over here someday. She would love you to death."

Helen offered him another block.

* * *

Izzie sighed and pushed a piece of broccoli around her plate. Not that she didn't like broccoli. She was getting bored though of listening to their parents yack on and on. You tended to get left out of a lot of conversations when you couldn't talk.

Ian reached over and stabbed the vegetable she had been playing with, and it was gone in a quick bite. She smiled, and took a piece of his chicken patty in turn. It was an old inside joke that started when they were as young as three.

Figuring that they wouldn't be missed, they put their plates up and headed for their room. Ever since their grandma moved in, they had been shoved into one room together. It was only supposed to be temporary, just until her house was repaired, but it had been going on a year now, and she didn't seem to be moving out anytime soon.

There was no doubt that Izzie loved her brother, but she needed her space. It was bad enough that they naturally stuck together.

Their grandmother grumbled at them as they passed her in the living room, "monstrous brats."

Ian signed back cheekily, _"We're children, not monsters."_

Their grandmother snorted, "Is there a difference?"

Izzie grabbed her twin and dragged him off before he could sign something inappropriate.

* * *

Kelly tapped the table irritability. The plate in front of her was spotless, her glass half way full. The spot across from her was empty and the untouched meal had gone cold long ago.

She looked at the clock again and sighed in annoyance. Her mother was rarely late for dinner, and if she was, it was because she had foolishly decided to go to a bar with co workers without warning her daughter first. The last thing Kelly wanted to deal with was her mother in a drunken state again.

Hopping to kill some time, she got up in a huff, washed her silverware off, and as she loaded it in the dishwasher, she could hear the front door unlock and swing open. She quickly shut the washer and stormed into the living room.

"Well, it took you long enough. What's your excuse this ti—" Her voice caught in her throat.

* * *

Andrew sighed, and flicked the T.V off. The only thing on his favorite Chanel was some sort of documentary on super heros. He wasn't too fond of watching those. Most of the super heroes were complete fruit loops and for some reason they went out of their way to make it seem like having powers was as easy as breathing.

Yeah right.

He could hear his parents arguing from the other side of the house. Most likely about him. He couldn't figure out what their problem was. For some reason they just couldn't accept the fact that he was (relatively) normal. He didn't drink, he didn't do drugs, he didn't cut himself, and he defiantly wasn't a pyromaniac.

They could drag him to every shrink in the area, and they wouldn't be able to find anything wrong. But no, for some reason they thought that there had to be something wrong with him. Maybe it was because he was a single child. Ace, Caleb, and the twins didn't have this kind of problem, and he couldn't use Kelly as a comparison because her mom didn't actually count as an adult.

With a final sigh, he decided on trying to read one of the computer books Harold let him borrow.

* * *

There was a knock at his door. Caleb paused, knowing that this was coming.

"Caleb?" Called his dad, "May I have a word with you?"

The seer rearranged the note pads on his desk and called back, "Sure…"

His dad came in, his face firm. Caleb's guess had been right. "You were fighting with Jennifer again."

"She started it," came the practiced lines," She was talking about cutting my hair again."

"That isn't the story that I heard."

"Then she lied." The words bit, words that he didn't want to say.

His dad came closer, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Caleb…Jennifer does not hate you, nor does she want to change you. It bothers her when you constantly have to brush your hair out of the way. She was just trying to suggest that you keep it tied up."

He reached to graze a hand over his hair, "You used to keep it braided all the time before…"

And Caleb had no choice but to dodge it. "…I like it this way."

His dad hesitated then, "You know if something is bothering you, you can always tell me."

"I know." He stated calmly, but inside he was crying for the need to tell his father the truth.

His father nodded sadly and left.

Frustrated, Caleb yanked the metal band off his head and threw it in his desk drawer for the night. He hated hurting his dad like that, but he couldn't risk him finding out. The sooner he got that replacement piece, the better.

* * *

_An old, wary man sat at a desk, behind a wall made of glass. He seemed… familiar, like an old family friend that he hadn't seen since he was a child. There was warmth there, a kindness and an unexplainable trust for this man._

_Another man stormed in, someone else he knew but only by name. A strict, firm man; the Chancellor. The familiar old man startled and the two broke out in an argument, slurred words that he couldn't hear. _

_The farther end of the window smashed, and a new person staggered forward. In an instant he had the chancellor pinned under him. he hissed, an awful, thick breath lingered over the trapped man._

_In an instant his head fell back---dead cold._

_The body decayed at a rapid speed, unraveling and falling apart to reveal inwards and bone and---_

_The familiar man had fallen against the wall in shock, eyes behind his glasses wide as could be._

_The crazed man smiled at him, his own eyes gleaming in pride…._

_"Hello father. I'm home."_

* * *

Jeb hated getting calls in the middle of the night.

Actually, if you wanted to be accurate, he absolutely loathed them. Night time calls ranked number three on his hate list, between teenage punks and mariachi bands.

"Hello?" He asked tiredly, not bothering to check the caller I.D first.

"…I…I saw something…"

He groaned at the sound of Caleb's panicked voice. "You woke me up just to tell me that you disobeyed me yet again and took the device off."

"p please! It's important! He's coming! H..he…"

"Caleb…stop watching horror films and go back to bed." With that, he ended the call, placed the phone back on his night stand…and got a full ten minutes of sleep before it rang again.

"Yes?" Jeb growled into the speaking piece.

"Mr. A…I don't think I can make it tomorrow."

Jeb hesitated at the sound of Kelly's distressed tone. "What happened?"

"Just…family problems," she sobbed.

He knew Kelly didn't have a stable home, but never had he heard the confident child so upset before. He knew it had to be bad to unnerve the girl so much. "…I see. Would you like me to send Harold?"

"…please."

Jeb almost ended the call then, but paused, and whispered a reassuring, "Good night, then."

Not even a minuet latter, it rang yet again. Jebgrowled at the name that ran across the glowing screen. "What now? Someone better be dying!"

"No, someone will die. I sa-ss saw it!"

Jeb groaned, and tried his best to keep his tone even, "Caleb…put the god damn blocker back on and GO TO SLEEP."

"But-"

Jeb slammed his cell phone shut.

His phone rang again.

"WHAT!?"

It was Ace this time. "Um…Mr. Anderson? Do colds like, affect our powers or something? Because I have this really weird tingling feeling…"

"If its bothering you that much, come see me first thing tomorrow. Otherwise ignore it and let me sleep."

Jeb laid back down, pleased by the silence of his house. But just when he was starting to think that his calls were done for the night…

Harold was thoroughly surprised when he was thrown out of bed, and a cell phone was chucked at him.

"You take care of it!"

Confused and voice tinted with drowsiness, he picked up the cell phone and asked, "Hello?"

"He's going to die! Evil…so evil! Just crumbled apart!" Hissed Caleb on the other end of the line, absolutely terrified.

"Calm down, you're not making any sense. Breathe, Ceb." Harold advised placidly.

"I saw The Chancellor being murdered," Caleb whispered.

"I don't see how that's a bad thing."

"The man that did it…isn't normal. So evil…so angry! And there was someone else. Don't know him but I know him…" Caleb was starting to get excited again.

"Alright, alright, just keep calm. Getting upset isn't going to help anyone." He allowed a pause then asked, "Are you okay?"

"…yeah, I'm fine."

"Caleb, could we talk about this later at a more decent hour?" Harold was trying his best not to yawn, but it was difficult to do at three in the morning.

There was a long pause then a quiet, "…Okay…"

"Try to get some sleep, alight? Good night Caleb."

* * *

Author note: (holds up Helen) this has got to be the awesomest twist I've done so far! C,mon, there's no way you could be expecting that, and she's just so cute!

I really really loved this chapter, it was so much fun doing everyone's family problems. And the phone conversations at the end. I got a blast out of it! XD


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own 9. Layton (45) belongs to CreativeJounalist and Krya (95) belongs to FaerieDeathKat. Anyone else is obviously mine.

Author note: Uch, Finely! This chapter just didn't want to stop! I am proud to announce another slide show is in the making! Any artist is welcome to contribute. Either post it on DA and send me a link, or message me and we'll talk privately about how you can send them in. This one for Brace Yourself is already turning out better than the one for Short by 9 marbles! Hell, if I get enough help, I might do more than one slide.

I know a lot of you might have been looking forward to it, I was too, but there won't be any more games. The plots about to get extreme, and there's just no way I can fit in any more guest stars. But fear not! There will be a sequel and new and previous guest stars will be welcomed with open arms. Though I might not play a game. I haven't decided yet how I'm going to pick guest stars. I could just take requests, but that might get hairy. We'll have to see.

Huggles go out to Beachcat, FaerieDeathKat, and CreativeJournalist. You guys were awesome and a real treat to work with! I Hope to do it again soon!

* * *

Brace Yourself

Chapter 5

* * *

Avery watched warily as the snake lady impatiently paced the room, waiting for Marco's return. While those two had been running lose through the small town digging up information, (or in Marco's case, driving around in circles while Sierria took care of the fun work) he had been confined to their room because of his difficult to conical form. The run down hotel smelled like mold and it made his nose twitch in displeasure. All he knew for sure was that something good had happened and that meant they were thankfully moving out.

"This confirms it...master will be pleased…" Sierria mumbled to herself as she smoothed out the flyer on the desk for the fifth time that hour.

"As much as I like pretending I know what you're talking about…what does this confirm again?" Avery asked from his perch on the bed's end board.

"The government goes through the hassle of recruiting young unsuspecting victims, who's to say that the neutrals don't do the same?" She thrust the yellow paper in his face and declared happily, "This is the back door we were looking for."

Avery read over the paper, and ruffled his wings in excitement.

This was going to be interesting.

* * *

Blake grumbled unhappily as he tidied up the den. His video games were gone, and he couldn't find them without turning the house upside down; which he had literally done before and knew he would be in deep trouble if he tried it again.

He bumped into the coffee table as he was dusting off the T.V stand, knocking off the pile of papers his dad had put there earlier. With a huff he got down on his knees and picked them up, but one in particular had gone under the sofa and he couldn't quite reach it.

He easily lifted the couch up and grabbed the paper…and got a swat over the head for it. "What did I tell you about doing that?"

"…not to?" He blinked in confusion and let the couch fall back into place with a loud thunk.

Jeb growled, but the doorbell rang before he could berate the boy and he stormed off to answer it. Really, Blake didn't know what he said wrong. That was what he had been told, after all. Smiling proudly, he put the last sheet back on the pile.

"Hey, Blake…" Andrew greeted timidly as he entered the den. Blake gave a grunt for a greeting. He didn't take too kindly to the other kids and often had to put them in their place for his father. He particularly enjoyed messing with the twins. He found magnets chasing them rather amusing.

Blake watched Andrew carefully as he fidgeted on the couch. His games were gone and his father had a tendency to threaten that he would give them to Andrew to practice with. And very few electronics survived Andrew.

Harold went rushing by the room, "Jeeeb! Jeb! Where's that tote bag?" He spun back around and peaked into the den, "Hello Andrew. Did that manual I loaned you help any?"

"I hope so," the eye-patched boy smiled shyly, "won't know for sure until I can test it."

"We'll just have to see then, won't we?" Harold took off at the sound of a knock on the door. "It's open! JEB! Are you in the basement!"

"I'm never going to get used to this." Ace said with a shake of his head as he entered the den.

"Phht, don't be overdramatic. Everyone gets the hang of their powers eventually," Andrew snorted.

"I meant the chaos, mayhem and sweets," Ace plopped next to him on the couch, "I'm going to get fat off of Harold's cooking, but I can't stop myself. It's too good."

Andrew broke out laughing.

It wasn't long before Izzie, Ian and Caleb showed up, and Jeb and Harold came into the room to start.

"Kelly's not here?" Caleb asked as he was booted off the couch.

The twins shrugged in unison from their place on the floor.

Caleb frowned at them, "What do you mean you don't know? You live on the same street. You didn't go check?"

"Kelly is having some difficulties at the moment and doesn't want to be disturbed. Speaking of which, shouldn't you be off?" Jeb gave Harold a pointed look, and the other old man nodded curtly and took his leave.

"Caleb, come here. I got something for you…"Mr. A rummaged in his box and pulled out a chain, "here we go. Your new blocker."

Caleb put it around his neck and took off the old metal ring from his head. Andrew pointed out, "It looks kind of plain. No one goes around wearing an empty chain." Ace snorted at the idea of Caleb donned in bling. Caleb just shrugged it off; he'd find something.

"One more announcement before I start rebranding you lot…" Jeb pat the coffee table next to the pile of papers, "Camping trips start in two weeks. If you don't get the form sighed and returned, you can forget about getting any training in."

Caleb 's jaw fell open in surprise, "This early?"

Jeb groused back, "I didn't plan the dates. It's been poorly done, if you ask me. You all have that Friday off, which gives us just under two days. Not enough time to get anything done. But I figured you'd all want to go anyway."

Ace could hardly contain his excitement. He was finely going to get his chance to practice with his ability.

* * *

"Hi Harold. I forgot you were coming over," Kelly smiled weakly as she held the door open for her teacher.

"Where is your mother?" He put his bag down and scanned the room for any other occupants.

"Upstairs in bed; its safe." Kelly held her arm out, and Harold took out her replacement band and made quick work of switching them out.

"How Have you been, dear?" Harold smiled in his usual grandfatherly manner and brushed a piece of hair out of her face.

She chuckled lightly, "Alright. Still a bit shocked. It's never been this bad before…"

"Well, give your mother my regards…and these brownies." He took the mentioned bag of sweets out, "Their sure to cheer anyone up. Oh, and this. Make sure to get it signed and returned." He handed over a yellow flyer as well.

"Thanks Harold. See you Monday." She wrapped her arms around him and he embraced her.

He brushed her hair again, and whispered, "I'll always be just a call away if you need me."

Kelly smiled and gave him one more squeeze before letting go. She made sure to lock the door after Harold, than grabbed the things he left for her.

"Who was that?" Her mom asked as she entered the master bedroom. Her mom was bruised and cut up badly and had a broken arm from when she had fallen down the stairs in an attempt to escape her boyfriend trying to force himself on her. She had picked some bad apples before, but things had never gotten so violent in the past.

"Just Mr. Mathews. I kind of got scared last night and called, so he wanted to check to make sure we were okay. He gives his regards…and brownies." Kelly held up the bag in offer and sat on the edge of the bed.

Her mom popped one in her mouth. Tears suddenly dripped down her face and she wailed from around the gooey treat, "I'm a horrible mother…!"

Kelly hated it when she got like this. "So you're not the world's greatest mom, but look at it this way. I'm not a destructive emo bitch so you must have done something right."

Her mom wailed louder and pulled her into a big hug. Kelly, bent over at an odd angle, pat her mom on the back.

"Oh, I don't know what I would do without you Kelly. You are my greatest treasure…"

"Please no more dating," Kelly whispered, "We don't need a guy in our lives. We're fine, just the way we are." Kelly couldn't stand the thought of this happening again. And next time, it could be worse.

Dread filled Kelly when her mother's sobs became laughter. "I wouldn't care if you brought a man home, though! What was his name again?"

Still held tightly by her mom, she blushed. "Don't start that again. I told you before that Andrew is just a friend."

Kelly was finely released, "No, that other one. Something with an 'A'…you've been talking non-stop about him for weeks now."

"I have not!" Kelly denied, but her mother gave her a goofy smile. Scrawling in embarrassment, she snatched the bag of brownie's up and raised it above her head, "Whatever, I'll just be taking these back then."

Smirking, her mom held up the form and wiggled it playfully, "Ah ha, you want to play that game, huh? Then I won't sign this! Trade?"

Kelly rolled her eyes but smiled and agreed. While she searched for a writing utensil, her mom took another brownie out and moaned, "Make sure to smack Harold for refusing me this recipe. Family secret be dammed, that man makes edible bliss."

* * *

Ace knew, that this had to be timed perfectly. He waited until Helen was asleep, and a commercial had just started on the T.V. He had been saving this particular tactic for a special occasion and this qualified as any.

His dad was in his recliner and his mother was stretched out on the sofa under her favorite knitted blanket. The glow of the television was only light in the dark room. The setup was ready, now to commence operation: gullible.

Ace cleared his thought and announced, "Mom, dad, the youth group I joined is going to start some camping trips and I would really like to go."

His mom blinked at the sheet in the dark and blindly reached for the lamp on the corner coffee table. "Next week? You Know Helen has an appointment."

Ace had already mental prepared himself for the integration. "It isn't like you need me to go with you…"

"You need to be there for moral support." His dad added automatically, as if it had been rehearsed.

Ace countered it with, "It's just an appointment. It isn't like she's having surgery done."

"Who is going to take you?" asked his mom.

"Jeb and Harold's taking everyone themselves." Ace looked between them, knowing that the resistance was breaking.

"I don't know," his mom slipped the paper aside on the table, "I mean we don't really know these people…"

And now for the finale. "You would if I could invite them over. This is why I never had any friends before! You never let me do anything. I love Helen, I was willing to move here for her, so that we could be near a good hospital, and I help and sacrifice so much for her— but for once I want to do something for myself!" He stormed off up the stairs and firmly shut his bedroom door. As much as he wanted to, slamming the door would have been pushing it.

"Ace? Ace….open the door!" his mother hissed, too cautious to yell, while Ace sat back against the door, clinging to the handle so that she wouldn't be able to turn it. He knew he was bound to win eventually for his 'out of character' behavior.

As predicted, his mom gave in. "Ace…if this means that much to you, you can go."

He punched the air in success and mouthed "yes!" to the darkness of his room.

He was going camping.

* * *

Ace was dozing off with his head pressed against the window, absently rubbing his arm where his band should have been. Jeb refused to reband them, insisting that they wouldn't need it for the weekend. It felt rather strange after wearing it for a month. He jerked fully awake when the car came to an unexpected stop.

"Well, here we are!"` Harold chirped happily and the locks clicked open. Izzie and Ian shoved their way out of the other side of the car, happy to be out of the vibrating tin can. Kelly hopped out of the front seat and stretched contently.

Ace looked around, disappointed to find only trees surrounding them. "This is it?"

"Bout a mile up this path is the camp. You'll be hoofing it from here." Jeb answered, getting back into his own car after letting Blake, Caleb and Andrew out.

Ace looked over his shoulder for the path, then turned back to Harold, "Just us? What about you two?"

"We have to take the cars around the long way. We'll meet up with you at the cabin." He hung his head out the window and yelled to the provider, "It's the fifth one, right?" getting a nod, he turned back to Ace and relayed, "Cabin 5. Enjoy your nature walk!"

The teen balked in surprise as the cars drove off, leaving them alone in the forest.

"Don't take it personal. They do this every year…" Andrew said as he waved for Ace to follow up the path.

"Race you!" Kelly chirped happily and took off up the trail.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Andrew yelled and ran after her, though he probably that he had no chance of catching her.

Ace had fallen behind the others by the time they made it to the camp site. He looked around in wonder at the log buildings and the different locations listed on a sign post. He had to keep reminding himself that he had to get to the cabin first. Besides, Jeb would probably have them so busy that they wouldn't have time to go swimming or anything of the sort.

He took the path that supposedly should have led to the cabins. As he neared the first one, a large group of kids caught his attention. They seemed to be gathered around something and whatever it was, was causing a lot of excitement.

Ace tried to look over shoulders to see what was going on. One of the kids was laying out some plastic cups, and others were switching places and sitting in a circle around the cups. Spotting a blond boy near the edge of the ring of bystanders, he nudged him and asked, "Hey, what's going on?"

The boy jumped and yelped in alarm, "Don't sneak up on me like that," he said.

"Sorry." The boy seemed younger than the other teens there and sported a green striped hoodie.

"It's okay," he shrugged, "Anyway, it's just this stupid game they play as an icebreaker. It's not a great game, but it's fun to watch."

The circle of players had closed their eyes, and the person that laid the cups out carefully lifted a few and slipped rocks under them.

"Since I'm telepathic, they think I cheat. I don't do it on purpose, but they think it anyway. That's why I don't like it." He stated as he readjusted his glasses.

"That must suck." The dealer announced he was done, and the sitting kids started taking turns cautiously picking a cup from the center.

"Doesn't matter. It's not a big deal." He held out his hand. "I'm Layton. You're Ace, right?"

Ace shook it, "That's right."

Suddenly there was a burst of cheers as one of the players picked up a cup to find a stone under it. He looked around in thought for a moment, then picked up a leaf from nearby. He held it to his lips and with a gentle breath it caught on fire. The boy crushed it in his hand, effectively putting it out and shook off the ashes.

"You see, if you find only one stone, you have to demonstrate what your power is." A few others went, until someone found the cup with three stones. The dark haired boy blushed, but the gathered kids cheered widely and some even made catcalls or jeered playfully.

He leaned over the center and gave the girl across from him a kiss on forehead. The cheering hit its crescendo. Ace balked in surprise.

"If you get three stones, you have to kiss someone. Not on the lips," he said quickly. "On the cheek or forehead."

"What?" Ace turned to face Layton while the game continued.

"Didn't I say it was stupid?"

The last person picked up the remaining cup to reveal two stones. The girl bravely admitted that she once forgot the she could breath underwater and almost suffocated herself by trying to hold her breath.

"And for two stones, you have to reveal an embarrassing event that happened during training. The more humiliating, the more respect you get."

The round officially over, everyone got up and started switching places. "I think I'm going to give this a try."

"You're not seriously thinking that, are you?" Ignoring the question, Ace made his way around to pick a spot but was suddenly grabbed by the arm and pulled to sit at the other side.

"Hey, you're new, right? Ace, is it? This is your first try, isn't it?" The girl who had grabbed him took a quick look around to make sure no one would hear her and accuse her of cheating. "Okay, so I've known Tristan, our esteemed dealer of the day, for awhile now. He always starts from the right. Always. You want to be one of the first few, 'cause that way you're more likely to draw a blank and not do something stupid or humiliating. Even if I would get a nice laugh out of it, newbie."

Ace blinked in confusion. "…Do I know you?"

"Nope, not at all. Never seen you before in my life. I have, however, tagged you. You're it." She chuckled at her own private joke. Brushing hair the color of melted chocolate out of matching eyes, she continued. "I'm a tagger. That means that with one simple touch I know everything I'll ever need to know about you. Your name, age, your power, sometimes even your personality. It's way more convenient than stalking. Oh, woops, I'm Kyra, by the way. Kyra Stics."

"Hey, we're starting Krya, so shut your eyes and zip it!" The dealer, Tristan, playfully bopped her on the head. Where Layton seemed to younger than the age group of the kids at the camp, Tristan seemed to be the oldest. He had short cut black hair, and his white, dirt covered hoodie was tied around his waist.

"Yeah, yeah, Trissy. And what have I told you about touching my hair?" She sent a wink at Ace, before closing her eyes. "Good luck."

Ace tried to listen carefully for the sound of the shifting cups, but it was hard to hear over the crowd surrounding them.

Tristan announced the start of the round, and as predicted, turned to his right. "Let's see, we'll start with you number 9."

Ace blinked in surprise at his odd bout of luck, and chose his cup from the center. Two rocks peaked out at him. Well, he should have figured.

"I haven't been in training for long, but I did hit myself with an acorn when I was trying to levitate it." He received a decent applaud for his honesty.

Kyra reached for a cup but Tristan stopped her. "Hey, we're going counter clock wise this time."

The brunette mockingly gasped put a hand over her heart, "You cheat! You did that on purpose! And after all we've been through!" But Tristan just shook his head and moved on.

The game continued with each person taking a chance with their luck. A technopathic pulled one stone and demonstrated his ability by making someone's cell phone go haywire. Ace found it intriguing, considering that his friend was a much younger and less experienced technopath. Finely they got to the last player.

They all knew what was under that last cup.

With a sigh, Kryra picked it up, reveling three stones.

Rolling her eyes, Kyra muttered, "Well, this isn't awkward at all. Oh well." She turned to Ace, leaned in, then stopped herself. "This is okay, right? I can kiss you? 'Cause I would totally understand if it wasn't."

Ace's cheeks turned a rosy pink, but he nodded, "Um…sure." She leaned back in and gave him a quick peck on the forehead.

Ace gasped in surprise when he was pulled backward by his hood. "So this is where you've been. Everyone's been looking for you! Come on."

Ace looked up at Kelly and his whole face turned tomato red. "Aaww, shit. Um…bye Kryra…?" he gave an uncertain wave and tried to get his feet under him while Kelly dragged him off.

Ace managed to twist himself around in time to wave as they passed the telepathic, "Oh, Bye Layton. Thanks for earlier. Um…I guess I'll see you around if I'm still alive by then."

Layton just shook his head.

* * *

"Hey Kelly, would you-Oh, you found him." Andrew turned around from the fire pit that had a decent sized flame dancing in it.

"He was playing stones." Kelly stated calmly as she joined him on the bench he occupied.

Caleb snorted, "He pulled a three, didn't he?"

"No, he was the receiver of a three." The twins broke out laughing.

5 teasingly asked, "Was she hot?" and got smacked in the back of the head for it. "Hey, you've pulled three's before, why—ouch! Stop it Kelly!" Kelly gave him one finial smack for good measure.

His blush returning, he took the remaining free spot next to Caleb, "Anyway, this is dinner then?"

Andrew smiled and rotated the skewer his hotdog was on, "Yeah, I love fire cooked hotdogs, tastes so much better than just microwaving them. They even packed us with stuff for s'mores! Much better than last year."

"They? They who?" Ace picked up his own metal spike and speared a hotdog on it.

"The camp owner and provider crew. They make sure to prep everything for our arrival, which includes stocking the cabinets." Kelly answered as she tried to reach for her own skewer, but Andrew stopped her.

"You mind getting the mustard bottle first? I left it inside."

She shrugged, "No prob," and ran off in a quick burst. Ace stared after her in wonder and awe, not used yet to see her take off so suddenly without warning.

Andrew took his hotdog off and tucked it into a bun. "Get used to it. She's going to be running off all over the place while she still has the chance."

"Talking about me behind my back?"

Ace and Caleb jumped, surprised by Kelly's sudden return.

Andrew answered calmly, "Not anything worth concern."

Ace turned his skewer back and forth in thought. "I've been wondering for a while now…"

"Gasp! A question Ace hasn't asked!" Kelly mockingly covered her mouth in false surprise.

"Hush you…" Ace shook a finger at her playfully then turned back to Andrew, "How long have each of you been here and how did you meet Mr. A."

Andrew put his plate to the side and readjusted himself on the bench. "I've been here the longest, about four years, now. I had an accident with an alarm clock at the store, and one of Mr. Anderson's older patrons pulled me aside and gave it to me strait. There were two other kids there too at the time, but they left right after Kelly joined. She literally ran into Harold a year after I joined, when we were freshmen. She found the twins that same year, or really, the twins found her."

The brother and sister smiled large Cheshire grins at the memory, which meant it was probably a story best left untold.

Andrew continued, "I found Caleb the year after, in an art class. That was before when we didn't have a lot of art students so all of the levels were together. He…well, he was in a pretty bad state before he got his blocker."

Ace took a moment to swallow and asked, "What about Blake?"

Kelly gave him a swat over the head, "His dad is a provider. How do you think he found out?"

Ace stared at her questioningly.

Andrew snickered, "He probably spontaneously got the urge to play with the furniture and he's been driving Mr. A crazy ever since."

The telekinetic asked from around a mouth filled with food, "Where is Blake anyway?"

Caleb reached for another hot dog, "Don't know. Mr. Anderson said they had to go do something."

"Harold's here 'watching' us though," Andrew added. "I think he went to take a nap. Poor guy, he just isn't cut out for this anymore." Ace wasn't surprised by Andrew's sympathy. He seemed to be very close to the kooky old man.

Izzie sighed something and Kelly translated, "True…she said it's hard to tell though, with the way he acts."

Caleb yelp in surprise when his hot slipped off the skewer and fell into the fire. They all laughed together and watched as it turned a crispy black.

* * *

"Get up, lazy bones! You're going to miss breakfast!"

Ace grunted and rolled over, only to groan again when a burst of light hit his face. Yawning, he dragged himself to the edge of the loft and leaned over. The cabin was of a simple design. The first floor was just one large room with some kitchen essentials in one corner, a few cots under the loft and two couches occupying the corner opposite of the kitchen.

The loft was half the size of the bottom floor and had beautifully carved railing and a large round window. The children had set up there sleeping bags up there while the two adults slept below on the cots.

Ace could smell and hear bacon sizzling, and he licked his lips in anticipation. Harold was dancing in the kitchen area, moving in and out of sight. He was singing to himself, then humming the parts he couldn't remember and one song bled into another.

Kelly was unsurprisingly dressed like one of the guys, an old stained t-shirt and boxers, and was cheering and hooting at the show Harold was putting on, particularly when he started using the spatula as a microphone. Andrew, Izzie and Ian seemed very amused but too sleepy to comment. It was hard to tell what Blake was thinking due to his blank stare and Caleb fell back asleep.

Mr. A was surprisingly not complaining and was drinking from a glass bottle of coffee he brought with him. Ace smiled at the sight. He had guessed before that Mr. Anderson was a coffee person.

Feeling he was awake enough to get down the steep stairs without tripping, he joined the others at the table. A plate of turnovers, bagels and toast already occupied the table and the teen greatly helped himself.

Jeb took a final sip from his bottle and sat it down with a clink. His face looked rather blank without his mouth pitched into a frown and he seemed more relaxed then usual. But then again he was probably still a bit drowsy. Ace had a feeling he would go back to screaming as soon as the caffeine kicked in.

"Took you long enough to join us…." Jeb sighed, rubbed his forehead, and started listing off everyone's assignments for the day. "A game of advanced dodge ball is being held. Kelly, Blake, I'm taking you out there for a round. Izzie and Ian you're going to your mentor. Andrew, your mentor is occupied for the day. Your scheduled in for tomorrow so you will be staying here. And you Ace, will be working with the head telekinesis mentor, our own Harold."

The newest member blinked in surprise at the new term. "Slow down, mentor?"

Harold put a large serving plate smothered with bacon, eggs and sausage in the center of the table and the teens eagerly helped themselves. "When we're together like this, we can divide ourselves by power type. It's easier to learn from someone of the same ability. The head mentor is the oldest person with that power, usually a provider. Older children can act as a mentor too if there is no provider with that ability."

"I'll become a seer mentor, when another seer is found…because there are so few of us." Caleb mentioned in between bites.

The provider grunted, "I fear that day greatly. No telling what odd habits of yours you'd rub off on them."

"Jebadiah!" Harold scolded and threw a piece of toast at him.

Irritated, Jeb stood and brushed the crumbs off his shirt. "I stand firmly with the belief that the children shouldn't be forced into teaching each other. That's our job," he turned to the kids and announced, "I will be waiting on the front porch when you are ready to go."

Breakfast continued on a more cheery note, and Ace learned from Kelly's excited chitterling that advanced dodge ball was a poor name for the game, since it was played with boulders, logs, or any other debris that could be found and thrown. And your goal is to hit the other team's target, not the other players. Still, a lot of dodging would still be needed. Ace made a mental note to avoid getting dragged into a round at all costs.

Soon the others left to their respective activities, leaving Caleb, Ace, and Andrew with Harold. The older telekinesis had gone out to the car to get something, and came bursting back in, a large box and tote bag in hand. He wobbled a moment when rounding the table but managed to regain balance and dumped the contents of the box out. Ace wasn't sure, but it could have been a clock at one point.

"This should keep you occupied, Andrew. No sense in wasting your chance to practice," Harold nodded proudly at the broken bits on the table.

"Are you sure about this? Last time I tried to doing this inside…." Andrew gulped and gave a metal spring a poke.

"Just follow what feels right." Harold fondly stroked his head, and turned to Caleb. "I'm afraid I don't have anything for you and I don't think Jeb is really fond of you practicing at all, really. Though he is right that you shouldn't use it so often at night; you'll drive yourself insane if you keep it up. But seeing as all of my attention is going to be on training Ace, I suppose I wouldn't notice if you snuck out to have some time to yourself."

Caleb smiled in understanding and hugged Harold. "Just make sure your back before Jeb."

Satisfied that the other two were occupied, he motioned for Ace to come with him out front. He looked around for a moment, then walked up next to one of the few trees in the clearing around the cabin and plopped down. "This is a good spot as any…get comfortable and try to relax."

Ace sat across from Harold, giving him his full attention. "I guess the best place to start is with your mindset…it's the trickiest part about these types of powers. Imagine your power as an energy that flows through you, constantly weaving and fluttering with a mind of its own."

Ace let out a content sigh. It wasn't that hard to picture, as he had similar thought before when putting the bands on. He found himself relaxing even further under Harold's calm, coaxing voice and closed his eyes.

"Since you are young it tends to pulse which is why you have little control over it. This is where the band comes in. it keeps that energy flowing smoothly until your body learns to mimic it and control it on its own. Blockers put a protective shield around the mind and prevent accidental use of the power, but this does not stop the flow. It's how the bands continue to work while the blocker is in place. As long as you live the flow will never stop."

Ace peaked an eye open, "Wait, when I put a band on before though, I felt energy come from it…"

"That was all you. The band was merely redirecting your energy." Giving a quiet, "oh", Ace closed his eyes gain. "When you use your power you reach out with this energy. Imagine it as a hand; it's merely an extension of yourself and is as much a part of you as your arm or leg."

Ace opened his eyes at the sound of something being dumped. He had forgotten about the tote bag. "Well now, we need to establish is how exactly you pick things up. Your energy will move a certain way when you try to lift things, much like a hand grabbing something. You need to figure out how exactly you're grabbing otherwise you might as well be reaching for something in the dark."

Ace starred at the collection of junk, in particular a light bulb that stood out from the collection of computer parts, unsure of what he was being asked to do.

Harold thankfully, stepped up to help with his dilemma. "Look, this is how I grab." He plucked up a wire between two fingers, "I've met others that lift up from underneath as if their scooping it up, and some that flick it up in the air before grabbing…just play around with it until you find what is most comfortable for you."

Ace knew already from previous experiments which technique he would be the easiest for him. Careful so as not to crush it with sheer force, ace flicked the light bulb up with his mind, and caught it again. He felt a weld of pride as he moved it about with ease, before gently putting it back down. "that's it." Ace nodded with confidence.

"Are you sure?" Ace nodded again. It felt right, he was most defiantly sure of it.

"Well, I can tell you now that you're going to have some difficulty with larger objects and people, but we will work through it when we get there. I want to show you something else. Reach out, but don't grab anything."

Ace was unsure, but figured that Harold knew what he was doing. It felt strange to just reach out without touching anything, but suddenly he did feel something and jerked away in surprise. "What was that?"

Harold smiled reassuringly, "That was me."

Curiosity taking over, Ace reached back out and felt it again. It moved closer, brushing against him gently, as if afraid he would jerk away again, and then it spared out and intertwined with his own strands of energy, teasing and trying to prompt movement. Ace was unsure of what was being asked of him again and remained still.

"We call this 'touching'. All mental powers have some form of it. Ours is a bit different then most though." Ace moved his strands carefully, wrapping around the stronger and more confident fibers.

Harold laughed, "There you go!"

For some reason that made him feel giddy and laughed too. It felt amazing, like a warmth he had never felt before, like happiness and tranquility and delight and every nice feeling in the world rolled up together. His strands moved in his excitement, flickering erratically.

"Calm down now…" warned Harold and the thicker threads tried to pull away. Ace lashed out and his strands tightened around them, not wanting the other to leave. "Easy, easy! You need to calm down Ace. You're getting too excited."

Ace jerked away, yanking his power back forcefully and took a shaky breath. He understood now why Kelly had been despite for a band that first day she returned to Jeb. He needed it, he didn't feel safe with his energy thrashing around like that. "I…I'm sorry…"

"It's alright. You're still learning. Easy, deep breaths." Harold Quickly closed the distance between them and pulled him to his chest.

"Please, I need a band." Ace gasped out.

"No, you're safe out here. You don't need it. Just settle down now and you'll be just dandy." Ace sighed and leaned onto his shoulder.

Harold gave him a final pat and used his cane to pull himself up. "Come on, I think that's enough for now."

Ace blinked; they had hardly just begun! "But-"

Harold gave him a strict look and berated, "You can't just go rushing back into this. Give your body some time to readjust, and then we'll try again. I need to check on Andrew anyway. I haven't heard any explosions so the lad might have actually pulled that old chunker back together. Then again, my hearing isn't what it used to be."

Ace stood to follow, but after a few steps to the cabin he looked over his shoulder into the bushes. He had the most particular feeling that he was being watched. His body shivered involuntary and he rushed to catch up to Harold.

* * *

Author note: Harold makes THE BEST teacher and grandfather ever. It's not hard to tell what my favorite part to write was, is it? But about what they were talking about…there powers don't really work like that. The whole tendril thing is just an image Ace created. He hasn't learned that part yet, so this is how he's imagining his power working. Someday when he's older He'll get a proper lesion in how the mind powers really work. For now, this is what works best for him so Harold's going to avoid complicating things and confusing the kid.

The camp is based off of some fond memories of one I went to when my sissy was in girl scouts. I miss those days…


End file.
